Lori’s Lollipops – July 2015

God is on the move! Now that is definitely not a new thing, but let me fill you in on what is going on in our neck-of-thewoods. YWAM Montana is partnering with YWAM Taipei for 3 1/2 years in what is called “The Surge“, to accomplish 3 mutual goals that our two bases came up with together. This focused effort in the nation of Taiwan has already been amazingly fruitful, with more people coming to Christ and being discipled than ever before! It is so exciting to be part of this partnership (that began last fall), both together as a ministry and on a personal level. My heart for Taiwan started in 2002 when I took my first team there, and has grown with each additional time I’ve gone. Having my oldest sister and brother-in-law there as long-termers just sweetens the deal even more. I love watching other staff come to love Taiwan like I do, and I hope to take part in a small team going there later this year. On the flip side, we’ve also had more Taiwanese staff come to Montana to get further training and strengthen relationships as well.

An eventful start to this year… Life was rolling right along as 2014 gave way to 2015, when suddenly we got an early morning call from Costa Rica. My dad was having a major heart attack. Amidst phone calls and waiting for news, I made plans to fly down there, leaving the next day. Against all human probability, my dad has lived to tell about it. My parents were serving at a YWAM location in C.R. for a couple months when all this took place, and I happened to have a good friend there who spent a week with us, translating and helping out wherever she could. She was a God-send for us! Nine days later we returned to Montana, having been able to get my parents on the exact same flights home as me! My dad has been able to regain a lot of his strength and keeps as busy as ever. (And I wonder where I get that from?!?!)

St. Croix continues… After 5 1/2 years, I finally got to go back to St. Croix! In March I went to teach in their DTS, which was a huge privilege for me. I loved being part of a school there again, albeit in a different role. I had an incredible time catching up with old friends and seeing some of the places that were very memorable for me. I expected to feel strange or out-of-place, but as it turned out, I felt right at home. Much has changed, yet much is the same. In fact, I even found myself naturally picking up old habits – like walking around turning off fans or lights that weren’t being used to save electricity! Ha ha… 🙂

Debriefing… I enjoy my continued work with our debriefing ministry on base, Emmaus Encounter. Since our sessions are confidential, I am normally unable to say much about them. However, this quote was writing by a recent debrief for the purpose of sharing, in order for you to get to hear more about it. This photo captured a very holy moment as she spent time giving back to God the things that she no longer wanted to carry her self.

“Through debriefing I have been able to process and get a better perspective on some of the things that I’ve done and been through. I can now see where God was in some of the events and decisions from my past that had always been confusing to me. Debriefing has given me freedom to leave the past behind and wisdom that I can take with me into the future. It has also built my faith in God and his love for me. My debriefers listened and walked through the week with me, not trying to give me all the ‘right’ answers, but consistently pointing me to Jesus as the one who will help me to understand and interpret my past accurately.”

TESOL: Adding a skill set for future ministry… SO MANY REQUESTS come from our Target Nations and countries around the world asking for English teachers, or wanting outreach teams to focus on teaching English as a ministry because it is so effective. This is something I have done many times on outreach before, bumbling my way through it ok, but lacking skills and confidence. The “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages” course was run here this spring during the evenings and on Saturdays in order for full-time staff to have the opportunity to do it. (And as if my life was just a little too dull… I’m kidding!!) Even though I’m not really an English fanatic, I felt God prompting me to take this course so I would be better prepared for the endless ministry opportunities that come our way. I had way more fun learning all things TESOL than I thought I would, enjoyed our Saturday morning practicums with Spanish and Russian ESL learners in the valley, and look forward to using this new tool in future ministry!

Partnering to advance God’s Kingdom… After 16 years of serving with YWAM I still feel called to full time missions. I’m glad I get to be one of the “goers”, and even though it comes with some sacrifices, and times hardship, I’ve always considered it a privilege. I cannot be in full time ministry without the generosity of people like you. I recognize that not all of us have the desire or opportunity to be in full time missions or “go to the nations” in this way. For those of us like me who can go, many others like you can send… and so we can partner together to advance God’s Kingdom. I am looking for more partners in ministry, as my monthly support has decreased in recent years. While I don’t write about this in each newsletter, I wanted to let you know of this need and opportunity. If you feel led to partner with me in this way, or have any questions at all, please let me know! You can always pass along my info to others as well.

As always, I hope this bit of news from my corner of the world finds you doing well in yours.

Love, Lori

“May the Lord bless and protect you; may the Lord’s face radiate with joy because of you; may He be gracious to you, show you His favor, and give you His peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (Living Bible)